A Custom Card Kisses the Sky

Today's custom card was inspired by an underrated baseball player from the 1980s, and features a guitar legend from the 1960s.

First, the original card:

1982 Topps Traded #2T, Jesse Barfield

Any idea who the look-alike is? Here are some hints:

His instrument of choice was almost always a Fender Stratocaster.

He wondered if you were experienced.

Instead of Blue Jays, think Purple Haze.

Got it?

Here's the custom card:

The resemblance is a little more of a stretch than some of the other customs I've made, but there are still a few similarities between the two guys, don't you think? And besides, there was no way I was going to pass up an opportunity to put Jimi Hendrix on a baseball card.

I decided to use Jimi's formal name of James because Topps would have probably done the same thing back then. As for his position, I kept it as is. I figure a guy with such creativity and bravado would take more kindly to running around the outfield than he would being stuck at a corner infield position, for example.

And look a little closer. The Hendrix signature is well known, so I was able to find a good example of it online. Then I removed Jesse's signature and added Jimi's on a slight angle to match.

As for the man himself, what is there to say that hasn't already been said?

There's a lot left to wonder about, of course. Jimi's sound was really evolving as the new decade dawned (1969 into 1970, that is). If you haven't listened to any of his recordings with the Band of Gypsys, I highly recommend it. Makes you wonder what sort of music he would have been creating in 1982.
 
And you know what? If Jimi were still alive in 1982—and for this exercise, a young baseball player—I think Toronto would have been a good fit. 

"New York is so plastic," I can hear him say, "and the West Coast scene has changed". 

In Toronto, maybe he'd find some peace of mind.

Plus, it would give him an opportunity to create a mean rendition of O Canada for the guitar. He'd play it before every home game, and then exchange his Stratocaster for a baseball glove and trot into the outfield as the umpire yelled PLAY BALL!

The crowd would go wild.

And here's some interesting information I discovered while creating the card: Although he played the guitar left-handed, Jimi was somewhat mixed-handed. For instance, he threw with his left hand but wrote with his right hand. Maybe this would have made him a rarity like Rickey Henderson—throws left, bats right. You see many more ballplayers do the opposite—throw right, bat left.

But let's get back to Jesse Barfield for a moment, because he was no slouch either.

Go back and watch game three of the 1985 ALCS between the Blue Jays and Royals. The link should take you to the 40:40 mark of the video, where in the bottom of the fourth inning alone Barfield makes three terrific catches on the wet turf at Kauffman Stadium to retire the side and keep the game close—the most impressive grab around 41:38. Afterward, commentator Tony Kubek mentions how much more confident the young Barfield had become since the Blue Jays stopped platooning him.

In the top of the next inning he'd come up to the plate with a man on first, and what do you think he did? Yep. Around the 45:52 mark he belts a two-run homer to tie the game.

The Royals would take the game 6-5, ended up winning the series 4 games to 3, and would also go on to win the World Championship, of course. But Barfield had himself a great year for the Jays. The most impressive stat? Get this: He put up a rare "triple-double" of 27 home runs, 22 stolen bases, and 22 outfield assists.

He kept rolling into 1986, his best overall season, as he tallied 170 hits, 35 doubles, and 40 home runs (led the AL); put up a .289 average; won the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Awards; and was named an All-Star. He'd also take home a Gold Glove Award the following year.

In the early '90s I remember he had a couple of good seasons with the Yankees, too. Unfortunately, injuries really slowed him down after that, and he wrapped up his career while still in his early 30s.

Back to Hendrix now, as I often like to create a second custom card. Here it is, based on the 1982 Topps In Action subset. Natural fit, right?

I used the name Jimi for this one, because the card shows him as Jimi Hendrix the musician, not James Hendrix the baseball player.

Now go listen to whatever Hendrix songs you've got in your library, and enjoy the day.

Thanks for reading, as always.